Which plant produces four fruits per flower that cling to clothing?

• A. Field Bindweed
• B. Yellow Toadflax
• C. Tamarisk
• D. Houndstongue

Answer: (D)

Clustering seeds that cling to clothing is driven by burr-like structures designed to hitchhike on fabric. Houndstongue does exactly this: each flower forms a fruit that splits into four tiny nutlets, creating four little burrs per flower that easily cling to clothing or fur as they brush past. This four-part fruit pattern is a distinctive trait that supports its local spread by attachment to passing animals or people.

The other plants don’t share this combination. Field bindweed and yellow toadflax disperse seeds mainly by wind or water and don’t produce a four-part burr that adheres to clothing, while tamarisk spread relies more on its woody, wind-dispersed seeds rather than attached burrs.